


Lean Your Ear This Way

by alison



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Party, Fluff, M/M, Nick is Santa, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2013-12-16
Packaged: 2018-01-04 16:26:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alison/pseuds/alison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis accompanies Harry to the Radio 1 Christmas party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lean Your Ear This Way

 

“Why me?” Louis wants to know. It's an odd request Harry has presented him with and Louis' eyebrows hurt from being furrowed in confusion. It's a familiar feeling, though, one he's associated with Harry since they met.

“It's a _family_ party, Lou,” Harry responds, not looking up from whatever it is he's baking. The counters are covered with a dusting of flour and bags of chocolate chips, nuts, oats, and dried fruit. “You're all the family I've got, okay?” He says softly, pitifully, and Louis barks out a harsh laugh at that.

“Don't you dare, Styles,” he retorts loudly, not playing Harry's game. “Don't act like this is some soppy holiday film and you're the orphaned boy with no place to go for Christmas. You've got a lovely family. They just happen to be a couple hours away.”

Harry gives up the act and Louis as to admire his effort even if it was poor at best. “Fine, but seriously, it's a family party and I haven't got family in London at the mo, so it's on you, alright?”

Louis rolls his eyes forcefully even though Harry's too busy measuring out brown sugar to notice. Louis had better get to lick the bowl if he agrees to go. That only seems fair.

“But _you're_ the family,” he says, feeling frustrated because this really should be perfectly obvious. “The family doesn't get to invite their family.”

Harry shoots him a hard look, then nods his head toward the counter across the kitchen. Curious, Louis walks in that direction, finding a little card there. He picks it up, seeing _Harry_ scrawled at the top, then reads the printed text:

_BBC Radio 1's Annual Christmas Party!_

_Are you ready? Well, come and get it._

_No need for a suit and tie. Just wear a big ass coat from that thrift shop down the road._

_(Because, let's face it, we'll never be royals.)_

_Bring the kids! And don't you worry, children, Santa will be there!_

_But at 10, you'll have to tell them 'hold on, we're going home'._

_(Even if they scream & shout.)_

_Because we'll be up all night to get lucky._

_And you know us. We can't stop and we won't stop._

_We'll be dancing all night to the best song ever._

_But when the daylight comes, we'll have to go._

_(If anyone has passed out, please kindly wake them up when it's all over.)_

_And even though we want you to stay,_

_Just know you're not alone._

_But seriously, you can't make this place your home._

At the bottom, there's a little handwritten note. _Hope you can make it! We miss you around here. Bring family, friends, anyone you want!_ Louis gapes at the invitation and wonders when Harry became a goddamn honorary radio station employee.

“They've ripped Liam and I off with this invitation,” he says instead, dropping it back onto the counter. He knows what Harry is going to say before he says it.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

Louis scoffs, picking up his cup of tea, and within moments Harry is pressed up against his back, wrapped around him, his chin on Louis' shoulder. Louis can sense him pouting, can hear it before Harry even speaks.

“You'll come, though, right? Be my plus one?”

Louis finally agrees, but only if he gets to lick the bowl and only if Harry doesn't scrape the sides very clean.

-

When Louis walks into the club, pressed up against Harry's side and holding bags filled with tins of cookies, he feels very much like he doesn't belong. He's expecting confused looks covered by curious smiles, but instead he receives happy greetings and warm hugs from people he barely knows.

He helps Harry pass out his adorable little gifts and resents him for being the type of person who brings tins of homemade cookies to something like this. As long as Louis keeps him around, Harry will always be the good one, the sweet one. And Louis will be the one who breaks things.

“Nick around?” Harry asks a woman Louis has seen before, but whose name he's blanking on.

Louis looks down at the last tin in his hands and sees Nick's name written on the tag next to a little drawing of a reindeer.

“Yeah, around,” the woman answers cryptically, a little smile playing at her lips. “I'm sure he'll show up soon.”

Louis holds onto the tin himself because having his hands full makes him look like he has a purpose here and his drink does not adequately do that job. He's not here for the free alcohol. He's bearing gifts.

Louis would like to stick close to Harry all night, but he also doesn't want to trail behind him like a pathetic little shadow. So, when he spots Greg in the corner, he breathes out a sigh of relief, walking straight toward him.

“Louis!” Greg greets, face lighting up in a smile. “Didn't expect you, mate!”

Louis smiles in return, nodding to himself. “Wasn't expecting to be brought along, honestly,” he answers. “Great to see you, though.”

The conversation is easy and Louis is glad for it, but they're interrupted when there's a commotion across the room. The lights are up, so it's easy to see a man in a red and white suit emerge from a hallway. Louis hears a booming _ho ho ho_ over the cheery holiday music playing and he already recognizes the voice.

“Oh my god,” he mutters, staring as Nick, all done up as Santa, sits in a chair at the head of the room.

“I knew it,” Greg says next to him. “I knew he would be Santa.”

Just then, he sees a sullen elf emerge as well and he recognizes Matt Fincham under the costume, shame and horror spelled across his expression. Louis can't hold in the laugh at the pair of them as he watches Matt solemnly leading children up to sit on Nick's lap.

He's not even sure if Greg's still there as he watches Nick listening to the Christmas wishes of tiny people, probably making snarky comments about their requests. And, as he watches, he reminds himself that this is a person who once gave him a blowjob in a bathroom, something he'd practically forgotten over the months since, even if it was one of the best he'd ever received.

He sees Harry close to the front of the room and makes his way over to him if only to have an excuse to get a closer look. And maybe a sneaky photo to remember the moment.

“Hey,” he whispers as he sidles up next to his mate, both of them staring at Nick.

“Aren't you glad you came?” Harry asks, grinning.

Louis chuckles softly at that, but doesn't answer because he'd rather not admit that he's lived his whole life not even knowing that he needed this. He needed to see Nick all padded underneath a big red coat, fake white beard stuck to his chin and oversized hat on his head. He looks ridiculous, but it's not the worst Santa that Louis has seen if he's being honest.

When the children have all had a go, Matt invites up anyone else who'd like a chance to sit on Santa's lap and Louis can practically feel the gust of wind as Harry shoots forward, hurrying up to the chair. Louis watches on, laughing at his idiot of a best mate as he climbs onto Nick's lap, ankles crossed as they dangle in the air, just a hair off the ground.

He watches them talking and Louis can't hear any of the words but he's very fond of his best mate in this moment. He has the heart of a child sometimes, pure and sweet and capable of so much love. Louis had honestly never met anyone like him before and it still surprises him how easily Harry lets people into his heart. It scares Louis a bit, makes him feel the need to protect the lad.

“Lou!” Harry says, interrupting Louis' thoughts. “Lou, bring the cookies over!”

Louis rolls his eyes, but strides up closer, handing the cookies to Harry.

“See? I was good, I baked cookies for you!”

Nick takes the tin, his smile barely showing under the bushy white mustache covering his upper lip. “Oh, alright, I believe you then,” he sighs. “I'll try very much to achieve the world peace you've requested for Christmas, young Harold.”

Harry grins brightly and smacks a kiss against Nick's cheek before hopping up. Nick glances up at Louis, eyebrows lifting. “How about you? Want to sit on Santa's lap?”

Louis' mind buzzes with possible retorts but they're all so obvious and he can't decide which direction to take it. So, he just coughs over a laugh and shakes his head, feeling incredibly dirty as he takes his memories of Nick on his knees, mouth full, and pastes the Santa costume on him. He hates that he can see it so clearly, so easily.

“I think no,” he answers, cheeks flaming. “Not-” he almost says _here_ or _now_ , but he corrects himself and just says “no” again.

He can see the smirk under the mustache and he glares because Nick should not be the one smirking right now. He's in a damn Santa suit. Louis should be teasing him mercilessly. But, before he can right the situation, Matt leans in, scratching at his ear where he's got a pointy latex tip attached to it.

“If you're done with Santa, I'll have to ask you to move it along,” he says flatly, still looking like he's living out his worst nightmare. Louis wonders how he got talked into this. Perhaps there was blackmail involved. “I'd like to get this over with.”

Louis gives Nick one last pointed look before he lets himself be led away, snapping pictures of both Nick and Matt in the process because he thinks he'd like to remember this forever. Pulling Harry toward the bar to refill his tragically empty glass, he glances at the picture of Nick on his phone, glad it's not too blurry.

-

An hour later, the queue of adults waiting to sit on Santa's lap, if only to take the piss, has dwindled and Louis watches as Nick stands, stretching out. He waves to the crowd as Matt rips off his elf ears and striped hat next to him, making a beeline for the bar.

When Nick disappears back down the hall, Louis suddenly abandons the conversation he's inactively involved in and follows behind him. He's had two drinks in the past hour which seems to be just enough to abate his inhibitions. He catches the door before it closes and pushes inside the room behind Nick, finding himself in a small room that seems to be set up as a dressing room. There's a counter along the wall to his right with a mirror in front of it and a little portable clothes rack to his left which is empty except for some folded clothes on top of it, which Louis assumes are Nick's. There's a little loveseat straight ahead, just past where Nick is standing, waiting for an explanation as to what Louis is doing there.

“I changed my mind,” he says, walking forward until he can gently push Nick backwards. When they reach the loveseat, he gives Nick a nudge, just to get his point across and Nick sits willingly, his expression curious.

“Did you think of something you wanted to ask Santa for?”

Louis nods, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth and chewing on it.

“Well, come on then. Have a seat,” Nick says, holding his arms out to welcome Louis onto his lap.

Louis pauses for just a moment before he drops down, resting his knees on either side of Nick's thighs to straddle his lap. He relaxes back, resting his bum on Nick's thighs, pleased when Nick looks surprised. He's even more pleased when the lad's hands rest high up on Louis' thighs, holding him steady.

“You know, this is generally done the other way 'round,” he quips, but doesn't seem to mind anyway.

Louis just smiles, his eyes dancing over the view in front of him, from the round belly to the beard to the slightly crooked hat. He lifts his hands to stroke the synthetic beard, smirking to himself as a song pops into his head. He generally makes a point not to sing off the cuff, even for something silly like this, but he makes an exception now. His voice comes out barely above a whisper as he sings, trying not to laugh.

“Jolly old Saint Nicholas, lean your ear this way. Don't you tell a single soul what I'm going to say.” Nick has this glorious look of surprise on his face, eyebrows lifted and lips parted just a bit. Louis laughs a little, then keeps going. “Christmas Eve is coming soon. Now, you dear old man, whisper what you'll bring to me. Tell me if you can." He might exaggerate the bit where he gets to call Nick an old man, chuckling through the rest of the words when Nick's face drops to a glare.

“How do you even know that song so well?” He asks, eyes still narrowed.

Louis shrugs, curling a finger into the beard. “My class sang it in primary school. Never forgot it.”

Nick's expression finally softens and Louis can feel the hands on his thighs moving up to hold onto his hips. “Well, fine,” he says, his cool composure back in place. “Tell old Saint Nick what you'd like this Christmas and we'll see if you've been good enough.”

Louis grins and scoots closer on Nick's lap until he bumps into the padding under his coat. “Hm,” he hums, thinking, his fingers still toying with Nick's fake beard. “Have I been good enough for a kiss?”

The fingers on his hips squeeze his flesh through his jeans, but he doesn't seem to react otherwise. “Not sure. Do you think you've been?” He asks, tilting his head a bit. “I seem to remember you letting a dashing young man suck your cock at a party this summer. Is that something good boys do?”

Louis forces the corners of his mouth down when his instinct is to smile at the absurdity of all of this. He fakes a frown instead, but he knows the smile is evident in his eyes.

“I think so,” he says slowly. “He wanted it, so I was basically doing him a favour.”

Nick laughs sharply at that and it's enough to make Louis grin again, the whole act dissipating. Louis finally lets go of the beard and pushes his hands up over Nick's shoulders to hold onto him.

“Probably should have gotten him off, too, instead of scurrying out of the room so quickly afterward,” Nick says, his voice low. “But yeah, I suppose you can have a kiss. If that's what you really want.”

Louis does want, he really does. He leans forward slowly, glancing down at the pink lips half-covered by the fake mustache, then lets his eyelids drop altogether. When his lips press into Nick's, the mustache brushes over his upper lip and it should be the opposite of hot, but the feeling just drives Louis further. He releases a pleased hum as he fits his lips over Nick's, gently sucking the older lad's bottom lip between his own.

The hands on his hips move up to slide over Louis' lower back, pulling him closer, pressing him into the soft padding between their bodies. Louis had forgotten what a marvelous kisser Nick is. The memory probably went missing once he'd had the man's mouth on his dick and that was all Louis could really remember from that point on.

“This is some fucked up kinky shit, Tomlinson,” Nick murmurs into his lips, making no attempt to pull away. “Getting all hot and bothered over Santa.”

Louis smiles against his lips, nipping his teeth over Nick's gently. “If it helps, I'd much rather you took it all off,” he says in a breath before licking out, happy when Nick groans, parting his own lips.

As Louis' tongue tickles the tip of Nick's, he tries to remember why he let it be a one time thing, that blowjob. He tries to remember why he left so quickly, why he didn't kiss the taste of himself out of Nick's mouth after. It makes no sense now that he thinks about it because Nick is a fucking ace kisser, even when his fake beard is tickling Louis' chin.

“Anything else you want for Christmas?” Nick asks, his voice gone husky, and he pulls away from Louis' lips to dip down and kiss over his neck. His open mouth presses into Louis' skin, just above the curve between his neck and his shoulder, and Louis lets out a little moan at the feeling.

“Yeah,” he breathes out, eventually finding the will power to pull away from Nick's wet lips on his skin.

He pushes himself off of Nick's lap and drops to the floor, kneeling in front of him. Since this is _his_ Christmas gift, he's going to do this his way. He pushes Nick's hands far away from his lap because he gets to unwrap his own gifts and he doesn't need any help.

Nick doesn't ask questions or offer up any clever comments, maybe worried about scaring Louis off or maybe just anticipating what's coming. Either way, he's uncharacteristically quiet as Louis gets to work, unwrapping this gift far more carefully than any other gift he's ever gotten.

Nick's got fucking suspenders on under his coat, so Louis can only unzip the red trousers and push the material aside to get at his cock. He peels the boxers back and lets Nick's hard cock pop out of his trousers and it's all so much dirtier this way. He's about to blow _Santa_ , in full costume, cock poking out of the red fabric.

“Jesus,” he breathes out, running his fingers over it, just admiring for a moment. At least Santa has a beautiful dick. “God,” he whispers, leaning forward to push his lips over the head of it.

Nick hisses as Louis mouths at it, making no real effort to suck or take much in yet because this is for _him_. He wants to just taste for a bit and if it means teasing Nick in the process, then, well, that's what he's going to do.

“Can barely see you over this gut,” Nick says, using his hands to press his padded stomach in so he can see Louis better.

“So take it off,” Louis suggests, tonguing over Nick's slit, the skin so warm.

Louis smiles before he's sliding down on the length to take more in, sucking lightly. Nick releases a little choked off moan, his movement to unbutton his coat faltering for a moment before he's at it again.

Louis doesn't pay much attention as Nick removes layers from his top half, but then the suspenders are being pushed down and Louis looks up to see Nick in a plain white t-shirt. He doesn't let go of his cock, keeps it on his tongue because he was a fucking idiot for not doing this last time and he's not wasting a moment of it. He looks up at Nick, rolling his tongue over the skin, and watches as Nick fumbles to push his trousers down more, to give Louis more room to work with. He's still wearing the beard and hat and he looks so ridiculous that Louis chokes out a laugh around his dick.

“Fuck,” Nick mumbles, his hand dropping to the back of Louis' head. But he immediately drops his hand, letting his fingers graze down the back of Louis' neck instead, like he realizes that Louis is not going to be pushed along. He just has to enjoy whatever happens. Louis appreciates that, loves that Nick is willing to let him go at his own speed.

“I'm very much enjoying my present,” Louis breathes out, letting Nick's cock slip out from between his lips, still shining with his spit. He keeps his hand moving over it, sliding the skin up and down in slow, soft strokes that are probably driving Nick mad.

“Yeah?” He asks, his beard a little askew now. “I'm enjoying your present, too.”

Louis smiles, feeling pleased, a smile that most people don't get from him. It's genuine and happy and he dips down to press open mouth kisses along the length of his cock, thinking that Nick's not such a bad bloke.

“There's one more thing I think I'd like,” he murmurs, licking out around the base, fingers toying with the tip.

“Oh?” Nick asks tightly, his hand moving down from Louis' neck to grip onto his shoulder, like he's trying to keep himself from floating away.

“Yeah,” Louis confirms, pushing his lips over the head again, still not really sucking. He keeps his lips loose around it, sliding slowly up and down just an inch or so, just enough to make Nick whine. Louis' not doing it on purpose, but he's enjoying the result anyway. Popping off again, he goes on. “I don't have stuff, though. Do you?”

“Stuff?” Nick asks, mind clearly gone enough that he doesn't understand Louis' attempt at being vague about it.

“Condom, Nick,” he clarifies. “And lube. You know, stuff.”

Nick shakes his head, his eyes wide with surprise and, Louis thinks, remorse that he doesn't have stuff, either. Louis hums sadly because he would have loved to have Nick fuck him right now, Santa trousers around his ankles, white beard and hat falling off of him. It would have been a great story to tell.

“Next time, then, I guess,” he says, nuzzling his nose against the side of Nick's dick, then pressing another kiss to it.

“Next time?” Nick asks quietly, his grip loosening on Louis' shoulder and moving over so his thumb can rub back and forth against Louis' neck with surprising gentleness.

Louis looks up and it hits him. The comment about Louis leaving so quickly last time, the lack of hesitation in letting Louis kiss him, the surprisingly few snarky retorts tonight. Suddenly, he feels the need to give _Nick_ something, too.

Without answering, he pushes himself up, snatches the hat off of Nick's head, and places it onto his own. “Merry Christmas,” he says with a little wink before dropping back down and sucking Nick's cock into his mouth with determination this time. He wants to make it good, wants to make Nick feel as amazing as he made Louis feel so many months ago.

He sucks him firmly, bobbing up and down, sliding his fingers over the base in time with his mouth. Nick clearly appreciates it, making these lovely little gasping noises as his hips stutter up like he wants to fuck up into Louis' mouth but he's stopping himself. Instead, Louis pushes down, letting Nick get into his throat, and he chokes as he holds himself there for a moment, but it's totally worth it. Nick sounds like he might start crying and Louis feels immensely proud at that.

It doesn't take long until Nick is coming and Louis licks him clean greedily, swallowing the taste of him down. As Nick comes down from it, slumping back against the couch and breathing heavily, Louis dots kisses over the spent cock, a little sad that it's over. But when he finally pulls away and focuses on getting his own breath back, he feels it swelling in him, a reminder of why he ran off last time. Because this is _Nick Grimshaw_ and the before part is fun and the during part is intense, but the after part... Louis doesn't know how to deal with that, not with someone like Nick.

“Ho ho ho,” Nick mutters tiredly, a lazy smile playing at his lips when he looks down.

Louis laughs a quick laugh at that, then pushes himself up to his feet, looking around the room for anything he might be missing. But he's kept all of his clothes on this time. He can just walk out.

“Well, thank you, Santa,” he says, barely looking at Nick. “But Harry's probably worried I've abandoned him and I'm his plus one, so I really ought to go-”

He stops because Nick isn't smiling anymore and he looks like he's going to say something, but Louis panics, forgetting everything he'd thought while he was kissing him and blowing him. He just leaves, slipping out of the room and walking back to the party, hoping for an unnoticeable entrance.

As soon as he spots Harry, though, his mate gives him a funny look and Louis wipes his lips, just in case he's got a dribble of come there.

“You disappeared,” Harry says slowly, the funny look being replaced by a smug, knowing expression.

When his eyes flick up, that's when Louis realizes he's an idiot and has forgotten to take off Nick's sodding Santa hat.

He yanks it off his head, distracting himself by patting down his hair, and mumbles, “just getting into the holiday spirit.”

Harry throws his arm around Louis' shoulders and guides him back to the bar where Louis orders two drinks because he's quite sure he'll finish the first within mere seconds.

-

Louis manages to avoid Nick for the rest of the night and it's not like he's doing it on purpose, not like he's avoiding the glances he feels from across the room, the ones that make his skin flush hot. Except he is. He'd just rather not admit it.

The party is winding down now and Louis has found himself a nice chair to sit back in as he waits for Harry to make one last loop around the room before they can leave. He's put himself in a position where he can't avoid Nick, so when the lad walks up to him and holds his hand out, Louis can't run away without being a _complete_ prick.

“What?” He asks, looking at the hand Nick has outstretched.

Nick stares at him, the look a little bit hard and a little bit soft at the same time, like he can't figure out how to deal with Louis or who to be around him. “I'm asking you to dance, a thing I never do, so you'd better not turn me down.”

Louis feels a little rush of tingling spread through him and he's as pleased as he is anxious about it. Maybe Louis doesn't quite know how to deal with Nick, either.

He takes the hand regardless, letting Nick pull him out of the chair and over to the dance floor where something slow is playing, a song that's far too soppy and romantic for it to mean anything for them.

Nick's arms slide around Louis' waist and he thinks it's probably not easy for him, asking Louis to dance, holding him like this, particularly in front of all of his coworkers. Louis only pauses for a moment before he slips his own arms up around Nick's shoulders, moving slowly with him to the music.

“Sorry,” he says quietly, his temple resting lightly against Nick's jaw as they sway. “I'm terrible at that stuff.”

Nick nods, his hands pressed firmly into Louis' back. “I know. I just don't want to wait another six months for it to happen again.”

Louis thinks he agrees with that much at least. He doesn't know if that means anything, but maybe it could.

“Yeah,” he agrees on a sigh, squeezing Nick a bit tighter.

And then Nick kisses him, just a light kiss, and Louis thinks that if this is the after part, maybe he can do this. He pushes in a bit, not enough to really deepen the kiss, but just to make it clear that he doesn't want to stop yet.

“Come home with me,” Nick whispers around his lips. “I have stuff there and everything.”

Louis smiles, pressing one last kiss into Nick's lips before leaning back to look at him, eyebrows raised.

“Only if you wear the Santa suit,” he says over a little wicked smile.

Nick laughs and Louis just now realizes they're still moving, Nick's arms around his waist pulling them flush together and keeping them rocking slowly back and forth. “You creepy little bugger,” he says, eyes twinkling.

Louis laughs, too, but ten minutes later, after he's told Harry he won't be riding home with him, he meets Nick to leave and looks down to see the Santa suit folded up under his arm. Nick winks and tugs the red and white hat down over Louis' head in a silly gesture, but his thumb sweeps Louis' fringe aside gently, tucking it up under the fuzzy brim with a little smile. He stills, his hand cupping the side of Louis' face and he takes a long moment to look before dipping down and kissing Louis quickly. As he pulls them out of the club and into a waiting taxi, Louis blushes and thinks that it is a very happy Christmas indeed.


End file.
